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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29734236">Days and Days</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/constellation_of_kasterborous/pseuds/constellation_of_kasterborous'>constellation_of_kasterborous</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Supernatural</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Baby Jack Kline, Bisexual Dean Winchester, Castiel in the Men of Letters Bunker (Supernatural), Castiel is Jack Kline's Parent, Dean Winchester Has Self-Worth Issues, Dean Winchester is Jack Kline's Parent, Domestic Castiel/Dean Winchester, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Kid Fic, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Alternating, Protective Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester is Jack Kline's Parent, Sassy Rowena MacLeod, Supportive Sam Winchester</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 20:34:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,310</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29734236</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/constellation_of_kasterborous/pseuds/constellation_of_kasterborous</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“I promise you, I will do everything. I will give my life for your son and I will raise him and make him someone you will be proud of.”</p><p>“I know.” She whispered. </p><p>Or; the fic where Kelly thought the world was safe enough for Jack to be a baby and grow up because there was an angel (and two salty hunters) to watch over him.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Castiel &amp; Jack Kline, Castiel &amp; Jack Kline &amp; Dean Winchester, Castiel &amp; Jack Kline &amp; Dean Winchester &amp; Sam Winchester, Castiel/Dean Winchester, Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester, Jack Kline &amp; Dean Winchester, Jack Kline &amp; Sam Winchester</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>83</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Day 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Even more alternatively; I’m a baby Jack truther who just wants tfw 2.0 to be happy and Dean's line about Jack ‘Not being Family’ hit me a little too hard so that's why this fic is mostly from his perspective.</p>
    </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p> “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you." ~ Psalm 56:3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sam is gently placing a squirming bundle of stained blankets into the crib when Dean bursts into the nursery, Cas, angel blade in hand, is only a few steps behind.</p><p>The room is shrouded in deep shadows that set Dean on edge. The hunter can hear the faint sound of gurgling coming from the crib, proof there is a monster waiting here for them in the darkness. Dean tries the light switch next to the door but nothing happens. He glances up only to find the remains of a shattered lightbulb. Great. First a portal to apocalypse-world, now this. Knowing their luck, Devil Jr over there had probably blown out every light in the freaking state.</p><p>Sounds about right.</p><p>Castiel pushes past him to get into the room. The angel moves into the darkness with the same conviction he had in that depressing grey wasteland but this time he’s heading for the man’s son and not the archangel they’d just trapped forever in bizarro land.</p><p>When Cas reaches the crib his blade is gone and all the tension Dean had seen building in him today slowly bleeds away. Sam moves back shakily and looks over at Dean with those big sad puppy dog eyes. Dean knows what his brother is trying to say. <em>Please, please don’t. You can’t do this.</em> Dean glances down to the gun he’s gripping tight - safety off - and there is a moment when he debates it. The Righteous Man debates killing the spawn of Lucifer because there's a chance that this kid is gonna go horribly wrong. If everyone is right and this Nephilim is a chip off Lucifer's block then the world is screwed.</p><p>There’s a chance Dean could prevent the end of everything, right here, right now. That’s what he does, right? He kills monsters, he saves people.</p><p>But then Cas picks up the bundle in the crib and Dean has never seen that look on his face before. He looks...devout. He looks at that bundle like Lisa looked at Ben, like how Mum looked at Sammy. Dean gets a glimpse of liquid gold eyes and suddenly he’s reminded that Sam was meant to be a monster too. That he had no choice in what yellow-eyes did to him and the Nephilim didn’t choose Lucifer to be his father. God knows Kelly hadn’t either.</p><p>Dean’s conviction falters but then his father’s voice echoes in his head to <em>put a bullet in him</em>. Dean tries to channel that, tries to tell himself that this baby is different from his brother and that they can’t save him. <em>Put a bullet in him.</em> But just like with Sam, Dean can’t. He just can’t. Not when Lucifer’s kid is pudgy and helpless and Cas is looking at it like that. Like the kid is a miracle and Cas would burn the entire world if he so much as sneezed.</p><p>So Dean clicks the safety back on and shoves the gun into his waistband before marching over to the angel, his brother, and the squirming bundle. Cas doesn’t even seem to notice his approach, blue eyes fixed on the baby. Dean glances down and is shocked at how much the son takes after the father. He’s all glowing eyes and tuft of blonde hair and Dean can’t shake the hate that bubbles up in his chest. Nick wasn’t even the vessel that Lucifer inhabited when the Nephilim was sired and yet the baby is somehow that vessel's spitting image.</p><p>“Huh, freak doesn’t look like the downfall of the universe.” Dean remarks because other than looking like Lucifer this baby seems pretty freaking mundane.</p><p>“Jack.” Cas corrects without even looking at Dean. “His name is Jack. Kelly wanted to name him after her father.”</p><p>Jack. Jack Kline. It’s far from a fitting name for the Antichrist but Dean supposes that it can’t be anything but a good thing. Hopefully, it’ll be something else to anchor him towards his human side, away from Lucifer.</p><p>“Guys, over here.” it’s Sam’s voice that takes both his and Cas’s attention away from the antichrist. Sam’s staring down at Kelly, she's covered in the bloodstained sheets from chin to toe. Her eyes are closed. Sam must have done that for her when he’d found Jack. He hears Cas suck in a sharp breath and Dean is reminded that though Lucifer is gone forever and Mary is currently heading back to the bunker safe and sound they did lose tonight. Kelly might have been insane and brainwashed Cas but his angel had evidently cared about her. She’d been brave and fierce and reminded him so much of his own mother. Dean’s sorry to see her go.</p><p>He wishes they had time for a hunter's funeral.</p><p>“We gotta go guys.” His voice feels like a hammer shattering glass after that heavy moment of silence. “Angels, demons, and every other fucking monster from here to Timbuktu is gonna be heading straight for us.” Dean tries not to let the fear seep into his voice. <em>Stay strong for Sammy. for Cas.</em></p><p>How in the hell were they gonna get back to the bunker with every supernatural creature and God only knows what else on their asses AND protect Rosemary's Baby at the same time?</p><p>The three of them all seemed to be thinking the same thing. The silence is heavy with that unanswerable problem. After a few moments, Jack begins to cry.</p><p>“Fan freakin’ tastic.” He mutters and Cas glares at him.</p><p>“He’s a baby Dean.” Cas snaps. It scares Dean how much loyalty his best friend already feels towards Jack.</p><p>“He’s also a freaking magnet for angels and demons.” Dean crosses his arms. Jack continues to wail and Sam cringes.</p><p>“We have time. I warded the house against everything.” He’s slowly swaying the bundle in his arms in an attempt to calm the kid. It’s not working.</p><p>“I checked them, they were good.” his Sasquatch of a brother says helpfully.</p><p>“Yeah, but Damian over their set off a pretty unmissable flare.” Dean points up to the busted bulb in the ceiling. The birth of a Nephilim was nothing if not dramatic.</p><p>Sam opens his mouth before quickly shutting it. It’s always weird to watch the cogs turn in his head when he goes full nerd. “We gotta go.” He whispers in realization. “Right now.” He runs a hand through his hair, Dean’s glad to know they’re on the same page again. “Especially considering we’ll need to stop every few hours to take care of him,” Sam says pointing at Jack and fuck, Dean hadn’t even considered that. The road just got a hell of a lot more complicated.</p><p>Despite Cas’s efforts to soothe him, Jack’s wails only grow louder.</p><p>“We need to get his stuff and book it out of here,” Dean states and he’s trying to remember back to Bobby-John all those years ago. What were the essentials?</p><p>Castiel starts saying something but Sam cuts him off first. “I saw a booster seat in the living room before.”</p><p>“You aren’t doing that to her.” Dean snaps. The idea of what Sam’s suggesting is pure blasphemy.</p><p>“Oh come on Dean, seriously!” Sam has to yell now to be heard over Jack’s cries. They seem louder than a normal kid’s should but that’s a problem for future them.</p><p>“No way I’m picking that baby over my own.” He snaps but he knows it’s futile. Dean knows he’s gonna reluctantly give in when Castiel suggests driving back to Lebanon in his truck with Jack. No way are they splitting up again. The yawning chasm of emptiness he’d felt when Sam had dragged him through the portal, away from Cas, began to emerge in his chest at the mere thought of splitting up their family again. But Dean has to at least try to defend the Impala’s honor. She’s family too.</p><p>Sam looks like he’s about to throttle Dean but Cas speaks up first. It’s quiet and Dean doesn’t know how he hears it over the screams. “I’m not leaving Kelly like that.” Cas looks distraught.</p><p>“Kelly is Dead! And she’s not coming back.” Dean barks harshly because the kid’s screaming is making his ears ring and the monsters are coming for them and he doesn’t have the fucking time to be delicate about this.</p><p>It hits him harder than he expects when Cas looks at Dean like he just shot him with a round of other-Bobby’s angel-killing bullets.</p><p>Sam, ever the peacemaker, cuts in before a fight breaks out (or worse, Cas leaves again). “Dean is right Cas. Our number one priority right now is keeping Jack safe. You know that's what she’d want.” Cas in response tightens his grip around the bundle in his arms. Jack somehow cries louder. It takes him a moment but the Angel of Thursday eventually agrees.</p><p>Upon Cas’s agreement, Jack's wails cease. The silence throws him off-balance. Dean wonders how much that thing understands.</p><p>“The best we can do for Kelly is torch this place when we bail. I saw a tank of gas outside.” Dean says in way of an olive branch. Cas looks at him gratefully. It ain't what she deserves but it’s the best they can do.</p><p>“Ok, I’ll meet you both outside in ten minutes, All Jack’s things are in here. Dean, I trust you to know what to leave behind.” Castiel says as he walks over to the dresser next to Kelly’s bed and pockets a white flash drive before heading towards the door.</p><p>“Yeah ok, but what are you gonna do while me and Sammy do all the heavy lifting?” Dean can’t resist the snark. Kelly and Cas had been over-prepared, to put it mildly. Dean thinks that earlier he’d spotted no less than 50 little baby outfits that Jack will inevitably grow out of in weeks.</p><p>“He has urinated, the parenting books were clear upon how to deal with this.” Cas says before leaving the room.</p><p>“We definitely got the easy job.” Sam says while pulling a flashlight out of his inner jacket pocket. Dean is inclined to agree. Sam points the light around the room and Dean gets a glimpse of the nursery. Apple trees, rainbows, and the letters of the alphabet painted on the wall in cheery block letters.</p><p>The first thing he packs is a framed photo of Kelly because he knows from experience that'll be irreplaceable to Jack. The second is a stuffed Bee plushie because it's the first thing to make him truly smile in what feels like week</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Days 2-3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>“When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.” - Psalm 94:19</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When night falls and exhaustion hits the group of hunters and angels find themselves at a crummy motel for the evening. All-day they’d been driving down long stretches of empty road and stopping every chance they could for Jack. Dean hates driving like that, at the current rate they wouldn’t reach the bunker for another two days. He wishes they could just go for twelve hours with only a few pitstops like they usually do. But when Dean had tried to avoid stopping after about 40 minutes on the road there was a blubbering cry, a flash of gold eyes in the mirror, and spiderweb-cracks started appearing in Baby’s windshield in the top lefthand corner. </p><p>Dean doesn’t risk not stopping when Cas suggests it again. </p><p>They drove and drove and it was the first thing that felt normal after the Brits and Lucifer. Dean had already listened to his cassettes of <em>The Who</em> and <em>Pink Floyd</em> twice when he’d reluctantly let Sam listen to some teenage girl shit for a hundred miles before Cas tentatively asked if they could play the mixtape Dean had made for him. Dean agrees with a <em>sure thing Cas </em>and makes a jab at Sammy that the angel has better taste in music than him but Dean feels shaky as he slides the cassette into the tape deck and Sam gives him a knowing look when <em>Ramble</em> <em>On </em>fills the car. </p><p>Cas had sat in the backseat of the Impala tending to Jack with a sort of methodical rhythm. A few minutes before Jack would start crying Cas would be preparing a bottle or getting wipes ready at the perfect moment. Sam had asked how Cas was already so good at all this. For the duration of the trip, his brother’s nose had been buried in a few of the parenting books Cas had bought, evidently, Sammy was trying to play catch up. The angel had responded with a lengthy explanation about how his Grace was perfectly in tune with Jack’s as a result of the Nephilim choosing Castiel to be his father in utero. There was a lot of talk about light wavelengths and the quantum balance of shit and celestial harmonies. Sam, the nerd, was on the edge of his seat for the whole thing but Dean focused more on listening to <em> Stairway to Heaven </em>. If Cas and the kid were each other's family then that’s all that mattered to Dean.</p><p>Though, he was grateful that bond (or whatever the hell it was) existed because the angel had probably single-handedly saved Baby no less than a dozen times from Jack by the time they rolled into a hotel for the night. </p><p>When they step out of the car Dean wants to get back in. There are hookers and dealers in the lot and the burnout behind the desk doesn’t even bat an eye at three men and a newborn baby booking a room. It’s too fucking reminiscent of his own childhood. Dean feels like he’s gonna be sick. He wishes they’d just kept driving, exhaustion be damned.</p><p>The room is the standard package. Stained carpet floor, two beds with lumpy pillows, and an AC that rattled when you manage to switch it on. Sam is the first one to speak. “Guys, we should find somewhere else to stay, this,” he gestures broadly to the room. “Isn’t really a good environment for a baby.” As If to prove his point a spider scurries out from under the leftmost bed and Dean steps on it.</p><p>He’s about to agree with Sam but then Cas speaks up. “No, this is fine.” Dean turns to face him, expecting to find some sign of sarcasm. Cas looks the same as he always has, all-knowing blue eyes and tousled black hair but there’s a new energy to him now. He's always looked good but fatherhood suits him. The shadows around his eyes are less pronounced and the rigidness that once defined him seems less present. “Jack is a Nephilim sired by an archangel. He can’t be killed by divine artillery, witchcraft, or any weapon made by man. Nothing here could even harm him remotely.” Cas looks down at Jack, swaddled in a blue fleece blanket, and smiles proudly. </p><p>There’s a beat of silence.</p><p>“Well alright then,” Dean says before walking over to the bed closest to the door and placing his duffle on the orange coloured fabric. There isn’t really much else to say. </p>
<hr/><p>Dean stays awake with Cas to watch over Jack. Moonlight is clawing the floor through a gap in the curtains and faint snores can be heard from Sammy's bed. Castiel doesn’t need to sleep, he seems perfectly content to just sit and watch over the Nephilim but Dean is neither content nor willing to sleep. He’s on edge. The hunter part of him just can’t shake the feeling there’s a monster here with them. </p><p>He’d feel a lot better if they’d painted a devil's trap under the bed the kid's sleeping on, Dean’s since he’s not gonna be using it tonight. The antichrist is currently happily full and fast asleep for now, safe under Cas’s unwavering gaze. Dean had wanted to ask about safety precautions when they’d all been crammed around the shitty wooden hotel table eating cheap take-out but the hunter knew he’d be met by reluctance. </p><p>Dean’s working on not seeing Jack as a threat but <em> it’s hard </em> . It’s downright almost impossible when Dean thinks about all the shit Lucifer’s done to them. Out of habit, he glances over at Sammy. <em> He’s ok, safe, sleeping peacefully for once </em> , Dean reminds himself. The hunter then glances over at Castiel. <em> he’s him, he’s not leaving them ever again. </em>His angel is ok, better now probably, Cas has got something to fight for. </p><p>“I...I didn’t think it would be like this.” Cas whispered, breaking the silence that had been enveloping them like a safety blanket for the last few hours. </p><p>“What?” Dean asks, suddenly jolted from his thoughts, he looks up from the pocket knife he’d been absentmindedly fiddling with. </p><p>“Raising Jack.” Castiel clarifies. “I didn’t think it would be like this.” The angel turns to look over at him. Green eyes meet blue. Dean’s sitting on an uncomfortable wooden chair stuffed awkwardly into the corner of the room. He’s been sitting in the faint light long enough that he can see Cas but the darkness steals away the details. Cas is sitting on the edge of the bed, making sure Jack doesn’t roll out from the little pillow barricade Sam had set up. Invincible or not, the kid could screen like a freakin’ banshee when disturbed from sleep. </p><p>“You know Cas, I figure most expecting parents don’t imagine themselves in a shitty motel on the run with a newborn.” Dean honestly can’t believe they're in this situation. Ten years ago he would’ve tested someone for demonic possession if they’d said this would be his life. He would’ve stabbed them with Ruby’s knife If they’d suggested Dean would be oddly okay with most of it. </p><p>“That’s not what I meant, Dean.” Castiel shakes his head and looks away from the hunter briefly. Dean knows Cas needs a moment to find the words. Knows that despite all these years spent with humanity Cas still has trouble articulating all the impossible, annoying human emotions. “When I first realised that caring for Jack was my purpose, that night in the playground, I figured it would be just he, Kelly, and I.” </p><p>Jealousy and anger bubble up in Dean's chest when he thinks about how easily Castiel had left them, <em> left him, </em>despite Dean's protests. How easily he’d chosen another family over them.</p><p>“I’d hoped she and I would raise Jack to be  human, away from the demons and angels that would aim to corrupt him.” Cas sighs, mourning a future he’d never have. </p><p>“A perfect little Christian family.” Dean hopes his voice doesn’t sound as bitter as he thinks it does. Of course, Cas wouldn’t have wanted Jack anywhere near what they do. Probably still doesn't. “I am sorry about Kelly though, I know she was...special to you.” </p><p>His voice is unequivocally bitter this time.</p><p>“She was my friend Dean, you're my family.” The words feel like a bucket of ice water. Cas holds his gaze and Dean feels raw, exposed. He looks over at Jack because he can’t look at Cas. The angel continues as if Dean isn’t feeling overwhelmed by everything right now. “We were going to raise him together but then I realised that birthing Jack would be fatal for her. After that...I thought I’d just have to do it alone.” </p><p>Dean tries to imagine Cas raising Jack in the human world. Castiel who couldn’t figure out voice mails or how the dryer worked or that his boss wanted a babysitter, not a boyfriend. The thought of him trying to be a normal human dad is equally amusing and terrifying. “Cas, no offense buddy, but you're not exactly the poster boy for a normal human.” </p><p>“Most humans, parents or otherwise, are just winging it. I would’ve learned as I went.” There isn’t much Dean can say to that. He smiles at Castiel’s optimism and is reminded of that night in Chuck's house. <em> We’re making it up as we go </em>. </p><p>There’s a comfortable pause in the conversation and Dean debates if he should suggest that Cas should still raise Jack in the human world. On one hand, it would be a lot safer for everyone involved. On the other, it would mean losing Cas. Again. </p><p>Dean hates himself anyway. “You know Cas, if you still want to do all that you can.” Cas tilts his head in that (Dean refuses to call it adorable) alien way he does. “Single-parent the kid the human way, I mean.” </p><p>Dean waits for the confirmation. For the sting of Cas leaving again. “I’d prefer to stay with you.” Dean’s so shocked by the words that Cas takes his silence as an invitation to continue. “Today just driving, just being, with you and Sam made me realise that even if I could do it alone, I don’t want to.”</p><p><em>Fuck </em> . Even if he could speak what the hell was Dean meant to say to that? His throat feels tight and his heart is hammering. <em> Cas seriously wants to stay? </em></p><p>“If you’d have me, of course.” The angel rushes to clarify and shit he’s been silent too long, hasn’t he. Get it together Winchester. </p><p>“Of course we will, Cas.” For the confirmation, the hunter is rewarded with a blinding smile. “The bunker’s empty enough as it is.” He tries to joke because it’s all he has left. Cas is rapidly tearing down every defense he has. </p><p>“Dean, thank you.” Castiel says too sincerely and he should never sound this grateful. <em> Not to him </em>. “I know this isn’t what you wanted to happen and that Jack and I are inconveniencing you-“</p><p>Something In Dean shatters.</p><p>“Shut up, Cas. You don’t-” he stops and takes a breath, throat feeling watery. Dean moves across the room to sit next to Cas on the edge of the bed. He has to do this right. “You know you’re family.” Dean finally manages to say after a moment and he hopes Cas knows what that means. Knows Dean would kill for him, die for him, he’d never give up on or abandon Cas. Dean hopes Cas knows he means Dean would gladly risk the Antichrist ruining the impala if it meant staying together because Dean aches when he’s gone and soars when they’re together. “And if you say Jack’s your kid then that makes him my family too.”</p><p>“Thank you, Dean.” Cas says again. There is so much more he hears in those words this time. <em> Thank you for letting me stay, for letting him stay, for watching over him with me, for everything. </em></p><p>“Cas, you know I-“ the words are stuck in his throat. Dean inhales a sharp breath and Cas gives him time to figure out what he’s trying to say. They’ve got nothing but time, they’ve got all night and tomorrow and the rest of their lives. “I…”</p><p>But Dean just can’t find the words. He doesn’t think he ever will, he’s never been good at the whole talking thing. So he does the only thing he can think of to make Cas understand. He grabbes Cas by the lapels of the stupidly endearing trench coat and yanks him forward.</p><p>Cas, evidently, wasn’t expecting the kiss. The moment Dean’s lips meet his the angel freezes and after a moment Dean is about to pull away because he’s fucked this all up hasn’t he and now Castiel will definitely leave because-</p><p>Cas cuts off his mental spiral by pulling the hunter closer and suddenly Dean’s existence boils down to one irrevocable fact: Castiel, angel of the lord, is kissing him back.</p><p>It’s passionate and honest and everything that’s been building between them for almost a decade. Dean turns his head to deepen the kiss and Cas lets out a small moan. All Dean can think about is that It’s so much more than he deserves. </p><p>Dean’s still got fistfuls of Castiel’s coat in his hands and he thinks he might be shaking but somehow it’s perfect. He gasps into Cas’s mouth when he feels the angel’s hands move, one finds its way to his jaw and the other is gripping his shoulder tight and Dean can’t help but smile into the kiss because it’s such a familiar gesture. </p><p>Eventually, Dean pulls back because he’s human and un-fucking-fortunately he has to breathe. When he opens his eyes he’s taken aback by how <em> truly </em> happy Cas looks. There’s a massive goofy smile on his face and his eyes are so fond that Dean feels even more out of breath. “Dean-“</p><p>“If you say thank you, I swear to god angel, I’m gonna kick your ass.”</p><p>Castiel stays suspiciously silent. </p><p>For a while, they don’t do anything other than indulge. They trade slow kisses accompanied by hesitant touches and they revel In the novelty of just breathing each other in. Normally Dean would be worried about someone seeing him this nervous but he hasn’t done anything like this with another guy since he was a teenager and besides, it’s Cas. They can take their time to figure all this out properly because nothing is stopping them from doing just that. There are no walls between them now. No apocalypse or Lucifer to stop them from just enjoying this.</p><p>The moment does get broken when Jack wakes up needing to be changed. Cas sighs and it’s the first time he’s looked annoyed as he goes to tend to the Nephilim. How very human. </p><p>Jack’s cries don’t go on for very long but they were loud enough to wake Sammy. The overgrown nerd groaned before checking his phone and announcing sleepily that it was 4:28 am. His brother rolls out of bed before saying that they might as well hit the road now. </p><p>Dean voices his agreement perhaps a bit too jittery because Sam stops rummaging through his bag for a clean flannel and raises an eyebrow at Dean, clearly asking if he’s all good. Thank fuck lying is basically 70% of his job description because Dean easily tells Sam that’s he’s fucking beat and that his brother is driving today. </p><p>Dean and Cas exchange a glance as Sam moves to the bathroom to change. They can update him on their relationship status change later. Right now he’s exhausted and he’s really looking forward to catching a few winks in the passenger seat while Sam drives them towards the bunker. Towards home.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>1.	This chapter focuses more on the relationship between Dean and Cas but please continue to give me baby Jack headcannons or maybe your favourite Dean and Cas parenting Jack headcannon<br/>2.	Please leave a review they do help me write.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Month 4: The Witch’s Deal</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; love is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.” ~ Corinthians 13:4-6</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The old parchment is like velvet under Dean’s fingers as they trace the path of his eyes along the lines of loopy handwriting. The hunter isn’t taking any of it in, just looking for specific words or phrases. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The case they’re working is a weird one. Garth had called them up yesterday saying a strange kind of vampire had shown up in Grantsburg, Wisconsin and he needed lore. The retired hunter was committed to the apple-pie-life but since the vampire was killing in his town, the werewolf said he (and Bess) could make an exception. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A nestless vamp showing up in a small town where a wolf pack lives is weird enough on its own but the vic, a chiropractor in his late forties, had some strange wounds outside the standard blood drain. His neck had been marred with a ring of needle-like puncture marks instead of just being messily ripped open. Dean’s first thought was that it was a killer octopus but Sam had discovered it was some bastard vampire offshoot called a </span>
  <em>
    <span>Yara-ma-yha-who </span>
  </em>
  <span>in Australian Lore. They’d informed Garth that it was diurnal and it liked to drink its body weight after a hunt. Which means Garth is currently scouting out bars in the area for day drinkers while the Winchester’s figure out a way to kill it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So that’s how Dean and Sam came to be sitting across from one another at the library table, flipping through the limited lore the Men of Letters have on the long-named-vampiric creature. Dean’s scanning a journal left by a European colonizer who documented his encounter with one but the hunter is nearly falling asleep at the table. Boring would be an understatement. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, Dean, here it says something about, </span>
  <em>
    <span>the wood of the nesting tree</span>
  </em>
  <span>, being a weakness of some sort.” Sam looks up from the yellowing pages he’s reading and Dean spots a furrow in his brow. “Though it’s a little vague about what that means.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Isn’t it always?” Dean mutters before rubbing his eyes and looking longingly at the coffee cup he’d finished half an hour ago. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“See if you can find anything about wood being used as a weapon against it.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dean salutes an agreement and keeps flipping through pages of information to try and find something that collaborated Sam’s theory. He’d much rather be with Cas right now. The angel had just left the library a few minutes ago because Jack was apparently about to wake up from his nap. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It's jarring how little their lives have changed in the last four months to accommodate a baby. They’re still in the bunker, still searching through mountains of endless lore. Sam and Dean still hunt and drive Baby for days on end. He still cooks food Sammy bitches about being too processed and Cas still only wears the well-loved trench coat. Well admittedly, some mornings Dean does wake up to find Cas snuggled in next to him wearing old sweatpants and his ratty Led Zeppelin tee but Dean’s the only one who gets to see Castiel like that. His angel doesn’t need to sleep but Cas says he enjoys it on occasion, enjoys the easy warmth and the peace of nothingness. Dean knows he enjoys the morning sex that usually follows. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dean’s ecstatic to have Cas in the bunker permanently but some things are different than what he’d pictured. Some things are better, he wasn’t prepared for the utter contentment of being able to reach across the table and take Cas’s hand whenever the hell he feels like it or not have to worry when their touches or stares lingered too long. Saying that Dean is grateful the way they act hasn’t completely changed. They still butt heads and Castiel still has no issue telling Dean how much he loathes Metallica, Cas still takes Sam’s side in an argument if he thinks Dean’s wrong (which is most of the time) and Dean still calls him </span>
  <em>
    <span>dumbass</span>
  </em>
  <span> and </span>
  <em>
    <span>buddy</span>
  </em>
  <span> but there’s an underlying affection there now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But some things about having Cas around are unexpected, Cas sometimes wanders off for hours on end, either exploring the bunker or just sitting in some storage room quietly. Dean knows the angel is at a loss for how to spend the time he’s not with Jack or a Winchester but Cas has started designing a garden in an old notebook he found somewhere, so Dean thinks his angel might be getting the hang of this whole human life thing. With Jack around, Castiel only joins them on hunts when they absolutely need him too but Cas is always uneasy about leaving the Nephilim even though Jody and the girls always love taking care of Jack. Claire thinks it’s less awesome but Dean had spotted her small smile the first time she’d held Jack. Claire had sworn him to secrecy, obviously. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dean's eyes catch on the words </span>
  <em>
    <span>wooden spear</span>
  </em>
  <span> in the journal he’s reading and the hunter quickly backtracks to the beginning of the paragraph for context.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Found it!” Sam looks up at him, grateful and excited at the same time. “Says here that a spear made of um, fig tree wood-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Technically, the species is called </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ficus watkinsiana.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”  Sam supplies happily and Dean rolls his eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well probably, if you wanna be a freakin’ nerd about it.” Dean mocks but there isn’t any real bite in his voice. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jerk.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bitch.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He and Sam both take a moment to smile at the nostalgia of the exchange before curiosity gets the best of his dork brother. “So we just need a spear?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh yeah, which is kinda weird, actually,” Dean says looking down at the book again. “I mean usually you think vamps and wooden stakes are a misconception. But, I guess with this species a wooden spear, made of whatever the hell you just said, will gank it.” He pushes the book over to Sam so his brother can read about it himself while he texts the info to Garth.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ten minutes later Sammy’s in the middle of a massive AV club speal about how this changes everything they know about vampires and </span>
  <em>
    <span>what if this species evolved differently because of geographic isolation </span>
  </em>
  <span>and blah blah blah before he’s Interrupted by a loud echoing knock at the bunker door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dean, who at this point would take another apocalypse if it meant getting away from Sam’s one-sided nerd rant, quickly grabs his gun and moves to take the stairs two at a time in order to greet their visitor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Upon opening the door Dean is immediately hit by a wave of very expensive smelling perfume and an eyeful of fiery red curls, curls that were just as bouncy as ever. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rowena...You're alive?” It’s the only thing the hunter can think to say. Lucifer had claimed to torch her body among other things and yet here she is. What the Fuck?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rowena just smirks and bats her false eyelashes at him. “Of course I am, dear.” She says condescendingly as if Dean were a child who just suggested that water was wet. The witch then proceeded to push past him to get into the bunker. Sam looks up at her with astonishment and relief in his eyes. If he’s being honest, Dean can’t say he’s truly surprised to see Rowena alive. This isn’t the first time she’s magically resurrected and he figures it won’t be the last. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The witch descended the staircase, her heels echoing off the grating with each step, looking like some twisted Cinderella fantasy. She was all red flowing gown and dark makeup that promised trouble. Rowena’s first course of action was to help herself to their oldest bottle of scotch and gracefully sprawl into one of the seats around the map table. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello boys, yes I’m alive,” She smirked, clearly very proud of herself. “Ask me how.” she purred.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They did and it was quite the story but </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>. This was just too close to Crowley for comfort. Weirdly Dean had been expecting the King of Hell to do what Rowena had just done. Pop-up one day out of the blue, snark and suit perfectly intact, but the demon never had. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Telling Rowena about it had made Crowley’s death real somehow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fergus...is dead.” The smugness that had been present minutes ago at the start of their conversation was nowhere to be found now. Dean didn’t know if that look in her eyes was distress, anger, or grief. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Crowley sacrificed himself to save us.” Sam explained. “You should be proud of him, Rowena.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d much rather have a living son. Even one that hated me than a dead hero!” The bottle of scotch on the table started to boil as Rowena raged at the news of her son's sacrifice. “I don’t expect the likes of </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> to understand what it’s like to outlive your child. You aren’t parents.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dean doesn’t know what to say to that, doesn’t know what would happen if he corrected the witch. Jack’s a weakness she could exploit, it’s probably best Rowena doesn’t learn about the Nephilim. Especially considering everything Lucifer did to her. Besides Jack’s not even technically Dean’s, and yet...he can’t imagine ever being ok with Jack dying. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>However, he doesn’t have to think about responding for too long because, in true Rowena fashion, it doesn’t take her long to steer the conversation back to why she’d originally shown up. A power grab because of course it was. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let me get this straight. You not only want the Black Grimoire?” Sammy asked, his tone of voice portraying how ridiculous he thought that request was. “But you also want us to give it to you, for free?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ideally.” Rowena tried her best innocent smile but she was far from innocent. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Here’s to us evil skanks</span>
  </em>
  <span>, indeed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, that’s never gonna happen, Rowena.” Dean crossed his arms and the red-haired witch glared at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s the least you two oafs could do, after getting my sweet boy killed.” She snapped. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sammy actually laughed. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Sweet</span>
  </em>
  <span>? Crowley’s death was the only selfless thing he ever did, and you know it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rowena’s eyes narrowed in Sam’s direction making her very colorful eyeshadow look even bolder. Dean quickly speaks up to avoid Rowena transforming his brother into an actual moose, like she’d threatened to do once before. “Why do you even want the stupid book?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a long moment of silence before Rowena burst into a sob story about her fear of Lucifer, exile from her coven, and a need for protection, her Scottish accent was thick with tears for the duration of it</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shit, she was even getting to Sammy too. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please boys.” She begged and ok wow, </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> was a novelty. “I need the spells in that book.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look maybe we can-“ but Dean will never know what they could’ve maybe done because at that moment Cas entered the library with Jack, dressed in that zebra print outfit Sam bought, in his arms. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So much for keeping that weakness under wraps. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, hello Castiel.” Rowena purred and Dean felt a spike of irritation. “Though I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>devastated</span>
  </em>
  <span> by the evidence that another woman has had you before me.” Her eyes skirted down to Jack and Dean wonders if she knew the kid was a Nephilim because of some magic reason or if she just picked up on Cas’s well, </span>
  <em>
    <span>dad energy</span>
  </em>
  <span> as Claire poetically put it. “But I wouldn’t take offense being the second-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok Rowena, knock it off.” Dean barks and it’s probably a little too aggressive. “Leave Cas alone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow, This mystery woman must be special to inspire such...loyalty among your kin.” The witch seemed very offended by the notion that someone wouldn’t be interested in her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There isn’t a woman.” Cas corrects before coming to stand next to Dean on one side of the map table. Rowena’s eyes light up with hope and yeah, she’s gonna need to cut that out real quick. “Sam, Dean, and I are caring for this boy, Jack, together.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There’s a beat of silence that’s only interrupted by a soft cooing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dean looks down at the Nephilim and the kid smiles up at him. God, Jack's smiles still make his heart skip a beat every damn time he sees them. Dean definitely couldn’t handle losing this kid. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“All I’m hearing is that Castiel is available.” This time Rowena is looking directly at Dean and he’s not stupid, he knows he’s being baited.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That doesn’t mean he can resist walking right into her trap though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For the last time Rowena, Cas </span>
  <em>
    <span>isn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> interested.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m picking up something different between you two.” She said wiggling her finger between him and Cas. “Caring for a wee Nephilim together, getting all protective…” she trailed off before gasping dramatically. “Have you two finally gotten to fifth base?” For the first time in her visit, Rowena’s eyes were completely alive with mirth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.” Cas answered without a moment of hesitation and Dean felt the tips of his ears heat up. From across the table, Sam cleared his throat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rowena is in the middle of laughing at their expense when realisation suddenly dawns.  “Wait, if Tweety-Pie wasn’t using his angel blade on some lucky human then how did that Nephilim come about.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uuhhh…” Sammy says when Rowena turns her sharp gaze away from Dean and Cas towards him. Apparently being smooth just isn’t an option for his brother. “Well, you see...Jack, um, he’s, uh-“  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jack is the son of Kelly Kline.” Castiel cuts in. Yet another instance of him saving a Winchester. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hopefully, that answer will be enough for Rowena. Dean really hopes she never heard about Lucifer’s extracurricular activities. “She was a friend of ours but now she’s in heaven.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rowena’s eyes widened. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Kelly Kline?</span>
  </em>
  <span> As in the </span>
  <em>
    <span>bitch</span>
  </em>
  <span> Lucifer stuck it in.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Well shit</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Dean puts a hand on Cas’s shoulder before he did something stupid. “If you had even a modicum of common sense you’d end that wound on the world before it can fester.” Rowena’s lips peel back in a snarl before she hisses “Not even you boys are dimwitted enough to try and tame Lucifer’s spawn!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jack’s our kid, Rowena.” Dean says and the words come out a lot calmer than he feels. It’s the first time he ever acknowledged himself as Jack’s father out loud. Cas even turns wide, grateful eyes to him. Dean thinks his angel might be wondering if they can finally remove the devil’s trap Dean had insisted on being under Jack’s crib. Dean thinks he’d be ok with it. “If you don’t like that, then you can get the fuck out.” The words are a growl more than anything. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The witch is clearly thrown off by the threat. They haven’t been enemies in a long while and Dean thinks Rowena wouldn't want that to change. People were afraid of the Winchester’s for good reason. “Well, it’s your funeral boys.” She mutters and Dean could have sworn there was something like hurt in her voice. Rowena clears her throat awkwardly, “About that spellbook though...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They all give her looks that ask if she’s kidding. They weren’t likely to give her the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Black Grimoire</span>
  </em>
  <span> before she’d insulted Kelly and suggested killing Jack (and made a pass at Cas but Dean thinks he’s probably the only one still annoyed about that).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look boys, I need that book. I’m open to a trade.”  Rowena drains her scotch glass before crossing her arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’d never bargain with the likes of you.” Cas says with venom and Dean takes his angel’s hand in an attempt to calm him down. They really don’t need a fight with a very powerful witch right now. Rude about Jack or not, he can’t deny having Rowena on their side was convenient. She was even fun to have around on occasion too. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rowena’s eyes dart down to their joined hands and then over to Sam on the other side of the table. The witch smiles, her eyes twinkling with a plan. “I’ll admit, though I can’t use the Book of The Dammed to defend myself against Lucifer. I could use it to raise the dead if we have an intact body.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you offering.” Sam asked and there is hope buried under the skepticism in his voice. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think it’s obvious Samual, I’ll resurrect that special someone of yours if you give me the Black Grimoire.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who?” Sam asked nervously. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The witch smirked and grabbed Sam’s phone off the table, turning it on to reveal the photo set as his lock screen. The picture was of Sam and Elieen sharing a beer, smiling goofily at the camera, Dean remembers taking it. “I believe you mentioned her name was Eileen Leahy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dean doesn’t have the time to even consider when Sam could have possibly told Rowena about Elieen (since when did they talk?!?)  before Sammy was turning to look at him with those puppy-dog eyes and Dean knew he was asking either for permission or for Dean to reject Rowena’s offer because God knows he couldn’t. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Every part of Dean was screaming that they couldn’t trust her, he wanted to tell Rowena to go to hell but he just couldn’t. Dean couldn’t begrudge his brother this chance at happiness, at getting Sammy back someone who had understood the life. Not when the last few months with Cas had been some of the happiest of Dean’s life. Especially not when the price was some stupid book that was just gathering dust. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Deal.” Dean says and that one-word echos around the bunker. “But Rowena, if </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and I mean anything, goes sideways with this deal your head is collateral.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The witch just winked at him. “Well naturally darlin’.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Her body's in Ireland. “ Sam says to no one in particular. “I was gonna burn her body after we dealt with the brits but then Lucifer happened and I...I just kept thinking about Mom’s resurrection and I kinda thought that maybe one day Jack could…” he trails off and Dean can see the pure astonishment and joy on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, that settles that. I’ll raid your storage room for ingredients and we’ll leave first thing tomorrow.” Rowena moves to pour herself another glass of scotch. Dean sends Sam a small smile but he can tell his brother is somewhere else entirely right now. Dean squeezes Cas’s hand a little tighter. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Was everything going right for them for a change?</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Dean races into room 13 of the bunker and is immediately greeted with the unbearable sound of Jack’s high-pitched screaming. Out of habit, the hunter does a mental checklist of weapons in arm's reach while he scans the nursery but there aren’t any monsters lurking in the shadows waiting to pounce on Jack. Dean knows the kid’s probably crying because he’s just hungry or needs a change but the hunter’s never going to risk making the same mistake his mother did. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Satisfied there isn’t any dark threat and this is just a normal - well his normal anyway - day, Dean starts to approach Jack’s crib. The baby's cries make his ears ring. Every step towards the Nephilim is a disorientating challenge. Jack may not be in any danger but </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>, his screams feel like a weapon that would deter even Lucifer’s most loyal demons. Well, at least they’ve never needed to invest in a baby monitor. Sammy swears he once heard the kid when he was cleaning rats and pieces of rusted steel from the old factory above the bunker (the nerd is insisting they childproof everything because “</span>
  <em>
    <span>we don’t know where Jack might go exploring when he’s older, Dean! Better to get a jump on some stuff now.”).</span>
  </em>
  <span> They’ve only had Jack a few months and Dean already feels overwhelmed by it all. Sam and Cas are so much better with him and Dean’s beginning to think he should’ve just caved and read Cas’s stupid parenting books. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He reaches Jack’s crib and hears a cracking noise underneath the waves of the kid's cries. Dean internally curses himself when he remembers he forgot to leave his phone outside. Jack’s all-powerful wails are also the reason they can’t have lights or anything glass in the room. Kid’s like a freakin’ opera singer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dean’s really looking forward to the day when Jack’s old enough to not cry whenever he wakes up from a nap, hungry or lonely. Or at the very least the hunter is looking forward to the day when Cas gets back home so his invulnerable ass could deal with the painful parts of raising a Nephilim. Though Dean supposes his list of bad parts is growing smaller and smaller by the day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sam, Rowena and Castiel had set off for Ireland three days ago. They’d all agreed that someone should stay behind with Jack but apparently fresh angel grace was needed for the spell so Dean was the only option.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The first night had been the hardest, it’d taken Dean almost two hours to get Jack to fall asleep and the kid had woken up a few hours later and then woken again an hour before sunrise. Dean can’t be too annoyed though, he was also missing Cas. Though he’d fed Jack before he’d never actually prepared a bottle alone. The first time he’d made Jack’s formula unsupervised Dean had been so worried about undercooking it he’d left the cloudy liquid too long and it overboiled. However, the most unfortunate mishap occurred when the hunter had been sitting with Jack in the Dean Cave earlier today, watching an old episode of Scooby-Doo, because it was never too early to introduce the kid to some culture. The gang had loudly screamed in horror because of some ghost, making Jack cry which caused the Tv to switch from the vibrant colors of Dean’s favourite cartoon to grainy static. The worst thing was that the hunter hadn’t been able to undo it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>All that being said, he’s 3 days of solo parenting in and his kid’s still alive and accounted for. Dean thinks he’s been doing a pretty good job considering the circumstances. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The hunter reached into the crib and picked up Jack. “I’ve got ya, buddy.”  Dean muttered softly. The kid doesn’t need a change but that means he’s probably hungry. “How ‘bout I whip us both up some lunch.” upon his words the baby immediately stopped crying. Cas says Jack’s remarkably intuitive and intelligent, Dean thinks that if that were true the kid wouldn’t have just busted his cell. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dean turns and starts heading out of the nursery with Jack in a banana yellow blanket nestled in the crook of his arm. It’s impossible to see the kid as a monster when Dean looks down at him like this. Jack’s eyes portray an innocence he aches to protect and there’s this trust there that breaks Dean’s heart. The hunter doesn’t know if that’s another thing that makes Jack special or if all babies look at their parents like that.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He’s a parent</span>
  </em>
  <span>. This kid’s relying on him to get it right. To keep him safe and not make the same mistakes his own Dad did. The reality of that always sneaks up on Dean and knocks him down like a title wave. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dean’s halfway through boiling the water for Jack’s formula when he hears his phone buzz. Dean pulls out the cracked device and sees Sam’s name flash under the dark lines clawing the screen. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The text is 6 words and Dean smiles as a result of them for the rest of the day.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It worked. I got her back.</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>1. The first part of the chapter was based on 13x12 when Rowena returned, Some dialogue was lifted from the script but a lot was changed. I also referenced the resurrection spell in 14x19.<br/>2. Eileen isn’t gonna be a major character in this story but Sam deserves happiness too and I love her for him!<br/>3. Continue to leave reviews give me your head cannons!!! Maybe about Jack and Elieen, or Jack and Rowena. I’ve got all the ones y’all have suggested so far written into my story plan so they will appear sooner or later :D</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Month 6: The Nursery</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>“I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you simply, without problems or pride.” - Pablo Neruda</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Jack’s room in the bunker is a nursery in name more than anything else but Sam thinks it’s probably the thought that counts. Over the past six months he, Dean, and Cas had made efforts to turn the minimalistic room into a softer, more appropriate space for a baby but the bunker bedrooms were never designed with children in mind. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sam and Dean had spent two days painting the bricks a light sky blue but small flecks of brown were still visible here and there under the paint and admittedly the coats weren’t exactly even throughout the room, but hey, they were monster hunters, not home renovators. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cas had helped him move out the old desk, nightstand, and memory foam bed in favor of a new set of matching IKEA furniture. Mom had picked them out so Sam assumes the simple crib, wooden dresser, and bookshelf probably actually belonged in a normal nursery. She’s the only one with any frame of reference. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Excluding the cushioned, well-loved chair they’d taken from the study and placed next to the crib, the new bookshelf is Sam’s favorite piece of furniture. It’s the only thing they’ve left their mark on. The top shelf has the photo of Kelly (in a plastic frame) that Dean took from the house and there’s a few protection charms scattered next to it that Sam and Cas had made for Jack. The second shelf is crammed full with all the parenting books Cas bought while the third has a few of Jack’s favorite toys, mainly his rattle, bee plushie, and the Snoopy doll Eileen had bought for him. The bottom two they’ve left empty for now, later they’ll fill them with whatever Jack wants. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sam runs his hands over the white wood of the crib and looks down at Jack sleeping peacefully. Castiel had said the Nephilim was going to wake up soon from his nap needing a change so Sam’s come to take care of that because Cas and Dean were currently in the kitchen cooking pasta. Eileen’s coming over for dinner so Dean says Sam’s not even allowed to step foot in the kitchen. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’s not even arguing with his brother either because Sam really does wanna impress her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He hopes their cooking goes better than assembling the furniture had. Sam had been worried that Castiel might try to throw Dean back into the pits of hell when they’d first attempted to put the crib together sans instructions. Dean and Cas had faced impossible odds, found a way to save him from Lucifer, from the demon blood, and from Gadreel, they’d even managed to finally find a way to each other, but the </span>
  <em>
    <span>IKEA Lulu Cot</span>
  </em>
  <span> was apparently their match.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was probably their first fight as a couple, Sam thinks. Cas had been insistent that he had unparalleled knowledge of all things in creation and Dean had straight-up scoffed when Sam asked if they were planning to follow the instructions. 20 minutes later Cas had stomped into the library muttering about ignorant humans and uncooperative baby cages. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Though Sam doesn’t like to see them fight in a strange sort of way the memory warms him from the inside out because for once it’s nice they get to argue about things a normal family would. They earned the right to worry about overpriced furniture instead of the apocalypse. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sam thinks this is the happiest he’s been in at least a decade, the only thing that really compares was his time with Amelia but those memories are always going to be somewhat soured by the knowledge that his brother and Castiel were suffering in purgatory while he’d been living the apple pie life. But now? Dean’s happy, free in a way Sam’s never seen him before and they’ve both found people who understand the life. Understand the nightmares and the grief and the guilt over the ones you can’t save. He’s grateful for every single second of peace they have.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Slowly but surely Jack squirmed in his sleep and his eyes open to meet Sam’s. The hunter can’t believe he’d ever hesitated when asked about wanting kids, Sam knows Jack’s not his technically but god, whenever he looks into those curious blue eyes it sure feels like it. Sam reaches into the crib and pulls Jack out, drawing the Nephilim close to the left side of his chest. He’s grown heaps over the half-year he's been alive but Jack still feels so impossibly small. The Nephilim drools on his shoulder while he tries to grasp at strands of Sam’s hair with chubby little hands — Dean cites that new habit as a reason Sam should finally cut it, Sam thinks it’s the most compelling reason not to. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sam moves over to the changing table they’ve set up in the corner of the room and is struck with the thought that no matter how much they paint the walls or buy new furniture, a changing table will always look out of place in the Men of Letters bunker. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sam doesn’t know what's going to happen with Jack in the future. Doesn’t know if they’ll spend less time together because he and Eileen will stop hunting or if Dean and Cas will leave the bunker instead. He hopes they’ll all stay and raise Jack together for a while but it’s probably too nice of an idea to be a long-term solution. The bunker is a place for hunters after all and they won’t be hunting together forever. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Forgetting all that, if they wanna give Jack a human life with school and soccer games and whatever Jack will need a birth certificate and a social security number and while they can fake adoption papers three dads raises attention and the last thing they wanna do is draw attention to Jack. Cas is really the linchpin here because first and foremost he is Jack’s father, he’s the one that both Jack and Kelly chose. Sam doesn’t know if Cas will claim to be a single father whose wife died in childbirth or if he and Dean might commit to their relationship on paper. Sam isn’t sure if he and Eileen will have kids of their own one day (only if she wants that too of course) and if Jack will have a half-sibling or a cousin. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Strangely for the first time in...ever, every thought about his future is bright and hopeful and yeah some ideas are happier than others but they are all </span>
  <em>
    <span>happy</span>
  </em>
  <span>.   </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After Sam had finished changing Jack he moved over to the dresser next to the door. The ten-or-so outfits they’d grabbed from the mountain of clothes Kelly had originally bought for Jack were shoved into the first pale wooden drawer. While, some new but less high-quality ones took up space in the second and third. Sam was partial to the rabbit onesie with a little cottontail and long ears sewn onto the hood. He starts sliding Jack’s feet into the grey fabric of the onesie but that’s always the hardest part of the process. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’s growing fast, most of the stuff Kelly had originally bought and even some of the new outfits were going to be too small for him soon. On the bright side though, Jody, Donna, and Alex had shown up a few weeks ago with huge grins and in Dean’s words ‘a fucking absurd amount of baby crap.’  The collection even included a comically small leather jacket from Claire. The image of her trailing after Jody and Alex in the infant’s section of a store is hilarious and heartwarming.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sam is very grateful Jody and the girls put in the time, effort, and money to help support them and Jack because honestly Jack probably needs all the love and support he could get if Donatello and his ramblings about nature versus nurture were to be believed. That had certainly been a memorable day for the wrong reasons. About a week after Jack was born, the prophet had scurried into the bunker muttering about new power being born into the world and after hours of debate, Cas had reluctantly let Donnie examine Jack. Sam knows the angel regrets it because Donnie’s conclusion that they were ultimately trying to teach a lion not to be a lion had resulted in Dean drawing the ugly red Devil’s trap under Jack’s pristine white crib. Cas hadn’t argued against it because it had still been early days back then, they hadn’t even told Sam they were together yet, and Cas was so afraid the brothers would kick him and Jack out with one wrong move. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sam glances over to the empty crib and the faint smudges of red on the polished concrete are the only evidence the sigil was ever there. He knows Dean bleached and scrubbed the floor for hours after Sam and Cas got back from Ireland, probably would have continued in vain for hours more if Cas hadn’t pulled him away quietly promising it was ok. Sam knows Dean feels bad for every misstep with Jack and the younger Winchester thinks that, like their efforts with the nursery, is probably what counts. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack makes a small blubbering sound that Sam’s come to recognize as one of annoyance. He definitely got that impatience from Dean. Cas says Jack can understand them well enough but the other side of the equation of Jack communicating back is what’s the problem, well not problem, he can say about as much as any other baby his age. Which is, not a lot.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sam looks down at the baby cradled in his arms, one of the rabbit ears on his hood is sticking up while the other is pressed flat between the side of Jack’s head and Sam’s chest. His blue eyes are very much telling Sam that he’d like to do something right now, please. “You wanna go find Cas, buddy?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack makes a blabbering-yelling sort of sound that means </span>
  <em>
    <span>No</span>
  </em>
  <span>! It makes Sam chuckle. The hunter knows it’s going to be wonderful when Jack learns to talk and the guesswork involved in communicating goes away (until he’s a moody teenager). Though Sam knows he’ll miss this. Right now he doesn’t have to do much other than playing peekaboo or making silly noises to get the Nephilim to laugh. Jack’s learning and growing so fast, sucking up information from them like a sponge. It's amazing to see but every time Jack does something new Sam can’t stop thinking about how quickly time is passing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No?” Sam asks in an exaggerated voice, he even gasps for effect. He adjusts Jack in his arms so the Baby is sitting more upright. The ears on his hood are both standing upright now. “You don't want to see Cas?” It’s honestly kinda a surprise, Jack usually always likes to see Castiel. “Are you hungry?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack makes his no-noise again. His eyes briefly flash gold but Sam isn't scared by that. Donatello might think Jack’s dangerous for the world but Sam knows he’s not dangerous to them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, buddy, what do you wanna do?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack’s silent for a moment and Sam can see his mind is working hard to figure out how to answer that. For a few moments all he does is think and dribble a bit, Sam grabs a green hanky and wipes the slobber away. He’s been drooling a bit more than usual lately which probably means he may start teething soon and </span>
  <em>
    <span>god</span>
  </em>
  <span> Sam doesn’t know how the bunker is going to survive that. Jack’s powers act up when he’s upset so Sam doesn’t even wanna imagine what the pain of teeth growing in will make him do. He'll add more light bulbs and burner phones to the grocery list. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a few more moments of thinking Jack suddenly shouts an excited “Dee!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Same knows from the parenting books that at Six and a half months old it’s fairly normal that Jack just said a basic vowel sound for the first time. It’s not Jack’s first word because it’s not actually a word, yet it still feels like someone just stole the air straight out of his lungs. “What?” Sam is so taken aback he didn’t even use the higher, gentler voice he reserves for Jack. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dee! Dee!” Jack just says again but it’s more demanding this time. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You wanna go see Dean,  buddy?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack makes a sound higher than his </span>
  <em>
    <span>no! </span>
  </em>
  <span>sound but gentler than his </span>
  <em>
    <span>I-want-something</span>
  </em>
  <span> noise so Sam thinks that’s a yeah. He’s not jealous that Cas has some angelic telepathic bond with Jack that negates that need for his little dictionary of Jack sounds but Sam can’t deny it would make things like this a lot simpler. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Also, Sam knows he shouldn’t be jealous of Dean either. The majority of Cas’s parenting books actually had a little section about how it’s easier for babies to form the </span>
  <em>
    <span>da</span>
  </em>
  <span> or </span>
  <em>
    <span>de </span>
  </em>
  <span>sounds than anything else and it in no way indicates favorites but…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dean’s a lucky son of a bitch.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ok, buddy let’s go find him.” Sam can’t help smiling at the giggly noise Jack makes which is definitely a happy one. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He navigates the winding hallways and reaches the kitchen with Jack balanced on his hip. Upon entering Sam discovers that cooking pasta apparently means something different to his big brother. Dean’s got Cas pressed up against the metal bench in what appears to be a very intense make-out session with roaming hands and noises he never needed to hear. Gross. He’s happy for them and all but come on, communal spaces guys. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sam clears his throat loudly and Dean reluctantly pulls back from Cas with a sigh. It’s not lost on Sam that a few months ago Dean probably would’ve sprung back and left the kitchen as soon as possible. Sam is proud of how far he’s come.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sammy, hey.” Dean says a bit out of breath but he’s smiling. The elder Winchester walks over to the left side of the kitchen and checks the oven’s temperature. “We were just about to put the garlic bread in the oven.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is that what the kids are calling it these days?” he can’t help it. Sam had resisted poking fun at their profound bond for almost a decade. He’s allowed a few digs, especially when Dean had claimed this was a cooking lesson. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re hilarious,” Dean says dryly as he slides a tray of frozen garlic bread into the warm light of the oven. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cas, who until now had been busy trying to smooth down his hair from where Dean had messed it up, asked, “Eileen‘s gonna be here at 7 o’clock, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sam wants to say: </span>
  <em>
    <span>Great subject change Castiel, very smooth.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Instead, he just smiles and says “Yeah, she’s just grabbing beer.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dean whoops and fist pumps, “Hold onto her. Sammy.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It feels like a Djinn dream. Too good to be true. They really get to have this? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack interrupts his happy-spiraling by making his </span>
  <em>
    <span>want</span>
  </em>
  <span> noise again, Cas tilts his head and looks between Dean and Jack but doesn’t say anything. Sam walks over to his brother. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, slugger.” Dean says to the Nephilim before he flicks one of the extended bunny ears on Jack’s hood, it springs back and forth. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dee!” Jack says and extends one small arm out towards Dean. Sam holds the baby over to his brother who looks shocked, to put it mildly. Jack doesn’t do much after Dean shakily takes him into his arms except for grabbing onto Dean’s red flannel with one hand and dribble a bit. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dean looks like he’s been shot and burned and resurrected all at once. Sam knows his brother is still trying to figure out the right way to be a father to Jack. it always scares Dean whenever he’s confronted with the reality of the situation. Sam still remembers around five weeks in when Jack had smiled at Dean for the first time and the elder Winchester had hidden away in the garage working on cars for almost three days. Dean's first instinct is always to run. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even if he’s never said it out loud, Sam knows his brother is terrified of screwing up like their Dad did and every time Jack does something to remind Dean he’s a father now, that fear clearly gets to him. Sam knows It scares Dean that they go on hunts and leave Jack for days at a time but Sam keeps trying to reassure him it’s different. For one, Jack’s a Nephilim, he’s gonna be involved with the supernatural one way or another so they aren’t taking away his choice about being raised in the life. And secondly, unlike their Dad they never leave Jack alone, either Cas, Sam, or Dean always stay behind with him. And most importantly Sam knows Dean would never, ever force Jack into anything or intentionally hurt him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dean’s nothing like their father. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’s getting better at realizing that too. “Right here, kiddo.” Dean mutters and smiles down at Jack. </span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>ACTUALLY IMPORTANT: I need your opinion on this. I’m thinking that Jack shouldn’t call any of the boys ‘dad’ or some variation mainly cause it doesn’t make logical sense to me. Like the way babies learn to say that is because parents refer to themselves and each other as ‘Dad’ or ‘Mom’ when talking to the baby. I just don’t see the boys doing that??? (Though if this is something people want let me know cause I could be convinced). </span>
</p>
<ol>
<li><span>I love writing Sam, he’s so optimistic and unashamed of loving, Dean could learn something.</span></li>
<li><span>I’m leaving poems/quotes at the beginning of every chapter now cause why not? </span></li>
<li><span>Continue to leave me your headcanons, please!!!! About the ‘Dad’ thing or just like Sam and Jack things or whatever. </span></li>
<li>
<span>I made a playlist for this fic </span><a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5Pc4R1NjmXnbpIBIlli3cl?si=2fa41f39e7a8473c"><span>here</span></a><span>. It’s mainly just soft songs about family, aka my trash. (I’ve also got an angsty Destiel playlist </span><a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3jpOvhVb2aGbeMJub1M75P?si=0d78ad9b5bba48a2"><span>here</span></a><span> if anyone is interested). </span>
</li>
</ol>
<p> </p>
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